Lullaby for a Stormy Night
by Special Agent Chibi
Summary: Side story to my fic, Day After Tomorrow. Basically, this is part of a what if Kratos found Lloyd story. DAT doesn't need to be read to read this. Lloyd's fear of storms take over as his father tries to calm down the fearful five-year-old.


_**Lullaby for a Stormy Night**_  
_Chibi-Sorrow_

Lloyd shivered violently beneath his covers, frightened eyes – like the color of burnt ember – staring out the window in terror as a storm raged overhead. The rain beat like hail stones among the roof, pounding along with the booming thunder. Lightning struck the ground many times, causing the young child to jump at each flash. It looked almost as if monsters were outside, what with the branches of dead tree's – showing signs of oncoming winter – swaying dangerously in the night sky.

"'Want Daddy…" Lloyd whimpered pathetically, clutching tightly to a stuffed bear he lovingly called Katz. Storms, if anything, scared Lloyd far worse than anything else. He was an utterly fearless child when not bothered by the worry of a thunder shower. He had always had a fear of the pounding thunder, but his fear was outdrawn more after the death of his mother for she had died on a night just like this one.

Lloyd had tried to stay in his bed and deal with the storm; He wanted to prove to Daddy that he was a big boy! He wanted to show him that he didn't always need to call for him when the lightning flashed or the thunder shook the small house they lived in. He was five years old now - he didn't want the other kids to think he was scared by a dumb storm. They already made fun of him enough because he didn't have a Momma…

Lightning illuminated the room with a flash once more, just as a large crack of thunder shook the house as if an earthquake was trying to swallow the house whole. With a small cry of sheer terror, Lloyd leapt out of his bed and onto the cold, wooden floor, small feet padding lightly as he ran into the hall while still clutching the bear to his lithe form. His running came to a halt, however, when he realized that the darkness in the hall seemed scarier than the lightning that brightened his room.

"Daddy?" The small boy whispered quietly, almost as if the thunder would hear him and bang against the house again. He didn't want that, that was for sure. He swallowed heavily, trying to act brave and call for his father a little bit louder. "Daddy!" As soon as that simple word left his mouth, another crash of thunder shook the house, this one seeming far louder than the rest.

"_No_!" Lloyd screamed in fear, running down the hall before crashing into something warm and solid, dropping his bear in the process. He turned around, about to hightail it back to his room when a pair of heated, muscular arms wrapped around his small form, picking him up and holding his back to it's body. Lloyd kicked out while tears streamed from his dark eyes, desperately trying to break free from whatever was holding him hostage. "Let me go! Daddy! _Daddy_!"

"Lloyden!" Said boy quite abruptly stopped his struggles, staring forward out into the darkness as the mass behind him let out a sigh of relief, arms around him tightening just to keep the boy from falling. He blinked to himself, almost in a strange sort of daze as he felt the tears that had begun to fall stop. Turning his head back, he looked up at the tall figure holding him only to see – thanks to light shining from another room – the crimson gaze of his father, staring back at him. Bottom lip beginning to quiver lightly, Lloyd's tears started a new as he somehow managed to turn in his father's protective hold. He wrapped his arms around Kratos' neck, clinging tightly to the appendage with no intent of letting go.

Kratos blinked in surprise himself at his son's willingness to hold onto him so tightly. The boy had lately been trying to avoid his touch, claiming that he was trying to act like a 'big boy' and that 'big boys' didn't hug their Dads. Of course, this claim had taken place before a storm had decided to rear its ugly head. It was hard to say he hadn't expected this. It was the reason he was out of his room in the first place, treading to Lloyd's room in nothing but a white, loose-fitting top and gray boxers. Sighing gently to himself, Kratos gently hoisted his young son up and into his arms a bit better, wrapping one arm underneath the boy's bottom as the other tried to sooth the boy's tears by running up and down his back gently. "Shh, Lloyd. It's just a storm. There isn't anything to fear."

"I-I'm sorry, D-daddy!" Lloyd wailed, burying his face into the joint between Kratos' neck and shoulder.

Kratos raised an eyebrow in question before turning and walking towards the source of the light – his own bedroom. Sighing once more, Kratos went over to the large bed before sitting down on it heavily. Arranging himself so that he leaned against the headboard – while never letting go of the boy – Kratos moved himself a bit so that Lloyd was resting in his lap rather than being held up by the older male. This in turn allowed Kratos to wrap one arm around the boy's back while the other ran through the short, brown locks of the boy's hair.

Trying to think of ways to calm his young son down, Kratos tried to think back to what Anna would've done in this situation. Remembering a similar situation, Kratos almost cringed to himself as remembered what Anna had done for their child: sang. Sighing for hopefully the finally time that evening, he tried to recall the words to the lullaby she always sang to Lloyd.

"_Little child, be not afraid…"_ He trailed off, deep voice sounding misplaced with such a gentle song. _"The rain pounds harsh against the glass like an unwanted stranger. There is no danger. I am here tonight." _Despite the awkwardness of his lack of skills and deep voice, the attempt to calm Lloyd seemed to be working. The ever-growing wailing seemed to dim, sobs now echoing from the boy.

Almost unwilling to continue, Kratos did for his son's sake. _"Little child, be not afraid. Though thunder explodes and lightning flash illuminates your tear stained face, I am here tonight."_ The rest of the lyrics seemed lost to the widowed father, so instead of singing he hummed the melody of the song to Lloyd, rocking the child gently in the cradle of his arms.

Lloyd, instead of clinging to his father's neck, now clutched his ivory nightshirt in hand, staring up at him. "That's Momma's song," he hiccupped out, using one hand to rub at his teary eyes sleepily.

Kratos nodded, smiling lightly down at him. "Now, what are you sorry for, Lloyden?" He finally asked his boy calmly, trying to keep the child from breaking down again so than he already was.

"I-I… I told you I was going to b-be a big boy," Lloyd's wailing had stopped, now just mere sniffles taking over as big droplets of salted water fell from his large eyes once more. "Big b-boys aren't scared of nothing! They d-don't call for Daddy when scary things h-happen!"

Ah, now it made sense. Kratos almost chuckled to himself at his son's confession but knew better than to make the boy angry. "Lloyd," he started, pausing momentarily to pull said young child away from his neck slightly to look into his eyes. "Being a big boy doesn't mean you can't call for me or hug me. It just means that you are growing up; Learning more. It doesn't mean that you cannot call for me when you are frightened."

Lloyd looked up at his father, trying to understand what he said. His Daddy always talked in big words, so sometimes he didn't know what he meant. "S-so… that means that I can yell for you when I scared? Like when the thunder goes boom?"

Kratos chuckled lightly, drawing his son into his grasp. "You can call for me, anytime or anyplace. It doesn't matter if you are five-years-old or fifty. I will always, _always_ come for you."

_Well, now I am grown  
And these years have shown  
Rain's a part of how life goes  
But it's dark and it's late  
So I'll hold you and wait  
'til your frightened eyes do close_

And I hope that you'll know  
That nature is so  
This same rain that draws you near me  
Falls on rivers and land  
And forests and sand  
Makes the beautiful world that you see  
In the morning

Everything's fine in the morning  
The rain will be gone in the morning  
But I'll still be here in the morning

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So, incase everyone didn't get the memo in the story summary (yes, that does happen) this story is just a sort of side story to my ongoing (though very slowly processing xD) story called 'Day After Tomorrow'. It's a what if story - you know, the normal Kratos finds Lloyd, blah, blah, blah. Mind you, it needs a bit of editing (I made it too close to the original game, gah!), but I digress.

And yes, that was a shameless plug.

Anyways, enjoy! R&R mi amore!

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